PROTECTIVE
SHIELD
Found in the
Thames in 1857,
a copper shield
(above) dates from
350-50 B.C. Its
fine craftsmanship
hints at the
cultural complexity
of Britain’s tribal
society. British
Museum, London
WERNER FORMAN/GTRES
“BOUDICA AND
HER DAUGHTERS”
19TH-CENTURY STATUE
DESIGNED BY THOMAS
THORNYCROFT, NEAR
LONDON’S HOUSES
OF PARLIAMENT
ANTHONY HATLEY/ALAMY/ACIThe early second-century work of the Roman
historian Tacitus is one of only two sole written
sources on Boudica. The other was written in
the third century by historian Dio Cassius. Each
provides details about the British uprising: the
causes, the characters, and the outcomes. These
events are conventionally dated from A.D. 60
to 61. Recent research, however, suggests the
upheaval may have been over by late A.D. 60, as
information in recently discovered Roman writ-
ing tablets indicate that Londinium was once
again a thriving commercial center at this time.
Readers of the accounts of Boudica’s revolt are
presented with different perspectives from the
two authors. Tacitus presents both sides of the
story by describing the provocations endured
by the Britons. Although himself a member of
the Roman elite, Tacitus was not an admirer of
dictatorial government, and he uses the rebellionto question the manner in which the province
was being managed.
One of the most vivid descriptions of Bou dica
comes from Dio Cassius:[A]ll this ruin was brought upon the Romans by
a woman, a fact which in itself caused them the
greatest shame... the person... who directed
the conduct of the entire war, was Buduica [sic],
a Briton woman of the royal family and pos-
sessed of greater intelligence than often belongs
to women.He re-created the moment when the British
warrior queen spoke to a force of 120,000 peo-
ple. Dio depicts her as tall and terrifying with
fierce eyes. Standing on a platform, grasping a
spear, an unbound mass of “tawny” hair falling
to her hips, she rallied her people to fight against
Rome. A golden torque—a symbol of high status
in British Iron Age society—encircled her neck.
Over her multicolored tunic, she wore a cape
fastened by a brooch.
Dio’s writing is the only surviving detailed
description of a Briton during Roman times, but
it should be treated with caution. The source
of Dio’s information is unknown: It may be
largely an invention. Dio depicts Boudica’s
behavior and appearance—her leadership,
loud incitement to battle, and
her stature—as outrageous for
a woman by Roman standards.
She grasps a spear, a martial as-
pect also deemed incompatible with
feminine values. His depiction of her
loose hair and colorful clothing was
meant to shock audiences of his time,R
ebel, queen, warrior, widow, mother, woman—
Boudica had many roles in her life despite only
appearing in two historical sources, both written
by Roman historians. Her leadership of a massive
uprising in a.d. 60 not only ensured her a central place in histo-
ry, but also revealed the complicated relationships between the
colonizing Romans and the local population of ancient Britain.